French historian and philosopher Rene Girard is a Silicon Valley favourite. Among his fans are Peter Thiel, Naval Ravikant and scores of other mavericks who draw on his work to explain everything from the popularity of Instagram to the rise of populism and even career choices.
Girard’s mimetic theory suggests that we watch and learn by copying others, and the most important thing we learn from others is desire. When we see everyone chase the same person or the same job or the same vacation destination, it isn’t free will manifesting itself. It is us mimicking the desires of those we admire.
Girard says we don’t want things, we want to be things. Many venture capitalists don’t want to think contrarily; they want to be contrarian. Gatorade’s legendary advertisement nudged fans to “Be like Michael. Drink Gatorade.” Same for Nike.
The pressure to be like those we admire is at an all-time high, thanks to the internet. Writer Alex Danco says the internet makes it easier to gaze longingly at the people we envy/admire, and creates an overpowering pressure for us to become, and be perceived as, a particular type of person.
This manifests clearly when it comes to career choices. As a student at Oxford, INSEAD and Wharton, I saw how most of my class aspired for remarkably similar recruitment options. The same consulting, banking and venture capital firms. What happens when students break into these firms? Conflict. The greatest conflicts are over the same things—the same promotions, the same growth aspirations, same titles. The mimetic theory explains that we don’t fight because we are different, we fight because we have similar desires.
One of the most efficient ways for young professionals to transcend competition and conflict is to build a category of one. Instead of trying to go where everyone is going, think out of the box and build a career where you apply your uniqueness and your curiosity to the problems and projects that need you the most. In order to have a big impact on one’s career, one has to be able to add unique value consistently over a long period of time. This is possible only if one genuinely cares about the problem at hand. Mimicking other people can be a recipe for disaster.
It begins with following your curiosity and training yourself to learn across disciplines. By combining two distinct strands of thought, you create a highly differentiated skill set that helps you escape the trappings of competition. World-famous chef Massimo Bottura created a category of one by fusing his culinary expertise with great design and memorable experience curation. He proved to the world that you could revolutionise a cuisine, keep innovation at its heart, yet have it deeply rooted in tradition. There are many Italian chefs, but there is only one Massimo Bottura.
Thanks to social media, we are constantly bombarded with people broadcasting their success. Around the New Year, the number of people humble-bragging and offering advice is at its peak. I suggest you ignore most of it. The truth is that prescriptions and playbooks work great for mechanical things. Imagine trying to fix an intricate IKEA bed without an instruction manual.
When it comes to careers, ‘how to’ formulas don’t work beyond the basics. To do something innovative, you need to explore the edge of your field, go where others haven’t and are at peak performance. You won’t become Steve Jobs by reading his biography or become Michael Jordan by sipping Gatorade and dunking in your Nike shoes.
I am not discouraging you to have role models. All I am suggesting is that be aware of the mimetic trap. Following your conviction, building up your skills, networks and value proposition is the only way to build a meaningful career in the 21st century. Take inspiration along the way, but contextualise it to suit your own needs.
When I left Microsoft to work full-time on network capital, almost every edtech founder I knew was raising venture capital money. I was temporarily seduced by the desire to be like them and be part of their club. On deeper reflection, however, I realised that my rationale for raising money was clouded by what was going on in the ecosystem then. I chose to first build a profitable business and then seek external capital. In hindsight, it turned out to be the optimal decision. It may not have been the right thing for everyone but given the nature of what I was building, it was the right thing for me.
Taking a pause and thinking from first principles is an effective antidote to the all-pervasive mimetic trap. Every time I find myself drawn to things, I remember Girard and his philosophy. It unclutters my mind and provides clarity. Give Girard a shot. It might change your life.
Utkarsh Amitabh
CEO, Network Capital; Chevening Fellow, University of Oxford
Twitter: @utkarsh_amitabh